Apple shipping Snow Leopard in September, $29 upgrade
By Paul Miller 
posted Jun 8th 2009 12:34PM
posted Jun 8th 2009 12:34PM
- Apple rewrote the Finder, while keeping it mostly the same on the surface, for a bunch of "little benefits." Tweaks include faster Quick Look previews and Spotlight searches.
- There's built-in Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 support in the OS, including Mail, Calendar and Address Book syncing.
- QuickTime X has a new "modern foundation," HTTP streaming and a whole new look. Users can record and trim video, and upload to sharing sites like MobileMe and YouTube.
- Snow Leopard has half the footprint of Leopard, amounting to 6GB in savings and 45% faster installs.
- New trackpads can handle handwriting recognition now, and there's new text selection "AI." There's also support for wireless Braille accessories (pictured).
- Safari 4 is available for Windows, Leopard and Tiger, but Snow Leopard adds "Crash Resistance," which keeps browser and tabs intact even if a plugin crashes -- user just refreshes the page. 64-bit version does JavaScript 50% faster.
- All core apps are 64-bit, and performance improvements abound. Mail boasts 85% faster message loads and 90% faster loads, while Time Machine has a 50% faster initial backup time.
Ok...I really have to ask. Is Snow Leapord supposed to be an entirely new OS or is it a service pack?
Its a service pack, could you imagine the outrage if Microsoft charged for XP SP3 or Vista SP2
Leopard was released in October 2007. With all the changes we've just seen in Snow Leopard, it seems like a new operating system.
These aren't just bug-fixes and patches... what other OSes call their service pack... here, major portions of OSX have been rewritten.
And a $29 upgrade price? Heck yeah!
I'm not a huge apple fanboy, but if you think about it, they only charge like $160 for the OS. Five $30 service packs would equal the price of Vista Ultimate/
"seems like a new operating system"
Did you bang your head?
For all those reasons, we've enabled more and more 64-bit and Snow Leopard is the final stage. All the major system applications are in 64-bit mode
Multicore: New methodology called Grand Central Dispatch across all of Snow Leopard. Language extension, multicore engine, object oriented framework, new system-wide APIs, tools
OpenCL for graphics: Hardware abstraction, C-based language, automatic optimization, Numerical accuracy, Open standard
Yeah it's not just a service pack.
Dude, are you kidding...it's a whole new OS, not a service pack. Since Leopard wasn't as fast as they wanted it to be, just like customers wanted it to be...they decided it's only fair to not charge a lot.
Plus it makes Windows 7 look really expensive.
I'm waiting for Windows 7, but Snow Leopard has some good stuff going on.
Snow leopard is less of a service pack than windows 7.
More has been done to make snow leopard than to make windows 7
I'm just asking because what they've told me hasn't convinced me as a consumer who's not the most tech saavy guy around that it's really a huge improvement.
I mean if the changes are that significant, shouldn't this just be OS 11?
Oh no. New OS. They put in something called Copy/Paste. Oh, wait, that's the iPhone. Look, I am sure there is something here that is so new you'll have a hard time telling the difference between the older OS X and the new one.
Are you guys all joking? this is nothing but an Service Pack - anyway you look at it.
They updated Mail! erm, well Microsoft releases Windows Live Mail free and all upgrades free.
They updated Quicktime.... yet again, Microsoft allows you to update to the latest version of WMP free.
They updated Safari - there are 100s of browsers you could use for Windows - ALL free.
They added proper 64bit! Well, you can upgrade from Vista to Vista 64 for free.....
They added Expose to the dock! wow, im sure this wont be less than 10,000,000 lines of code.
They added OpenCL - Microsoft is adding DirectX 11 in Windows 7.
They rewrote Finder - Amazing, this is what everyone wanted in Snow Leopard, I saw hundreds of posts on apple forums about this very thing, I am so glad they delivered.
basically, everything so far has been barely worth mentioning and the speed improvements? I bet they aren't anywhere near as great as they are trying to have us believe.
Brand-new OS. Though you wouldn't know it by the MS drones who, after 9 years of OS X, still can't it thru their heads that a point-release does not necessarily mean it is a minor update.
They added snow.
superhobo just made my day baha
yyyyyeeeessssss!!!!!
45% faster install! shaweeeeeeetttt
Wait - how many people install their own OSX (umm none?)
thanks for emphasizing the massive benefits here Eng.......
I really loved the irony in them bashing Windows 7 just being an extension of Vista, yet a minute later they said that Snow Leopard is just being built upon of Leopard...
snow leopard is to leopard what windows 7 is to Vista
""Its a service pack, could you imagine the outrage if Microsoft charged for XP SP3 or Vista SP2""
you mean like Vista ?
@Warom ""I bet they aren't anywhere near as great as they are trying to have us believe.""
so you bet? so your basically saying you are just talking out of your a$$ and guessing . so i guess this is typical of all these apple haters, you know talking crap about something they have never tried.
@Warom:
"Are you guys all joking? this is nothing but an Service Pack - anyway you look at it.
They updated Mail! erm, well Microsoft releases Windows Live Mail free and all upgrades free.
They updated Quicktime.... yet again, Microsoft allows you to update to the latest version of WMP free.
They updated Safari - there are 100s of browsers you could use for Windows - ALL free.
They added proper 64bit! Well, you can upgrade from Vista to Vista 64 for free.....
I must agree, those are free on Windows.
"They added OpenCL - Microsoft is adding DirectX 11 in Windows 7."
Here is the problem in your demonstration... Windows 7 is not a Service Pack, it'll cost money to upgrade from Vista.
You've just proved that Snow Leopard include features that are definitely bound to a new OS (don't forget Grand Central, without equivalent), and for the low price of $29.
@Patriks7
"I really loved the irony in them bashing Windows 7 just being an extension of Vista, yet a minute later they said that Snow Leopard is just being built upon of Leopard..."
So true. They're just so arrogant sometimes.
Remind me of Leopard Spaces announce... a great new feature... but available on Linux for years...
How many times does this need to be explained?
The "Service Pack" upgrades are free and occur with each major OS X release; 10.5 has spawned 10.5.1, 10.5.2, 10.5.3, 10.5.4, 10.5.5, 10.5.6 and 10.5.7.
Snow Leopard is OS X 10.6 and is therefore a major release of the OS.
Whether you feel there is enough change to warrant this as the next major release is debatable, but the numbering system is clear and the discount in price for 10.5 users doesn't change that.
I just love that Apple started their explanation of Snow Leopard by bashing that the new Windows 7 is just a retooled version of Vista.... and then announced a retooled version of their own OS.
Having used both windows vista and windows 7 extensively, I would love to hear his specific examples to back up his blanket criticism. And just because you say "We kept it the same cause we love it so much" doesn't mean you aren't being a total hypocrite by bashing Windows 7 and announcing Snow Leopard in the same breath. This whole keynote was smoke and mirrors.
It's a service pack. They update the things that are out of date. It's Apple's model to sell you each update for a small amount each year rather than for a large amount every 3-5 years. Guess what, they're both perfectly valid models, and if they did save up enough changes to release them all at once as a new OS then they'd be doing the same thing as Microsoft. You won't get the same improvements going from Leopard to Snow Leopard but Leopard is only a year old. It makes no difference, and if you don't think it's worth it don't buy Mac OS and don't buy the updates.
so can you delete items one-by-one from the trash yet?
$29 is a steal!
Not when it should be $0.00.
Why should it be?
I'm sure Vistas service pack called '7' will be a tad more than $29.
>> "Not when it should be $0.00."
They rewrote much of OSX... should it be free?
Remember that XP SP2 was free.
That added defender, native firewall, and many other features to Windows XP. It was a bigger upgrade than leopard to snow leopard.
I'll pay this upgrade price. It is not that bad considering there are improvements. It is not a new OS or anything, but heck, I even pay WinZip a few bucks every couple of years to update their software. Not that I would mind if they went the Windows way of just providing the updates in a big Service Pack, but the Apple way is not that way.
I'm actually a little scared about the $29 price. From what I see on the liveblogs it sounds like it's an upgrade price from Leopard, i.e. not an upgrade price - meaning, you need to have Leopard installed to start the Snow Leopard install. If true, it means that people who still have Tiger and people who want to build a Hackintosh will need to find a copy of Leopard first, and that's still $129 right now.
>> "If true, it means that people who still have Tiger..."
If you've been running Tiger for the last 4 years... I doubt you're in a hurry to install Snow Leopard.
Leopard has already been around for the last 18 months... which is an eternity in computer time.
Proper Exchange support for OS X is a steal at any price. Must have upgrade for buisness Macs. Entourage can die a slow and painful death.
I can't believe this. The shit people let Apple get away with because they're Apple. Can you imagine the outrage if Microsoft charged $30 for XP SP2 or Vista SP2? Can you imagine if the Zune Phone cost $699 for the people already on contract and offered little to no improvement or something that should have been on their from the beginning like MMS? Ho-ho-holy shit. 500+ comments, at least, of witty crap like "M$". I'm sure there would be clever little digs from the Engadget writer, as well. But, Apple does it and it's justified for some twisted reason. People just bend over and take it up the ass. Apple and Steve Jobs aren't your best friend from high school. This brand loyalty while the brand is screwing you over is beyond stupid. It's ok to not obey every word and buy every overpriced product that spews from Cupertino Wake up, people! ... "The Cult of Apple", indeed.
So you're gonna pay $29 to get features like this:
(from apple's snow leopard info page):
"Restore deleted items to original folders
If you put an item in the Trash, then change your mind, you can restore it to its original location. Just select the item in the Trash folder and choose Put Back from the File menu."
wow, i wonder how many decades windows has had this feature...
I really hope Apple crashes and burns after Jobs dies. All the windows bashing is ridiculous. Give some respect for your competition you elitest assholes
Respect? Uhhhh?
You're only calling them elitiest cos you can't afford a Mac
You know what? Your right, I can't afford a Mac. I'm going to college so I have more important things to spend my money on than at $1,500 computer.
Uh... right.
Many students apply for scholarships and grants, or take loans to buy what they need.
If a college student feels that he really needs a Mac, it is not that inaccessible.
You are deep in Plato's Cave. You do not know what you do not know; indeed, that is wisdom: to begin to understand how much one does not know.
More to the point, however: it would enrich your life to understand Apple. You don't ever need to own an Apple product, but understanding who they are and what they do would have a profound effect on how you view they world.
Like English classes?
:P
Er that was supposed to be a reply to Cardbored, but it looks much more out of place with all the posts between it.
@Seung-Hwan If a college student decides to spend all his grants on beer it's no that inaccessible.
You're too far in it to notice all the Windows assholes who still cry about single-button mice and other anti-Mac crap from 10 years ago?
One comment: Mac users have way more Windows experience than Windows users have Mac experience. It's a fact. Hence, the average Mac user is in a better position to defend their choices than the average Windows user is.
@redcard
I'm a college student as well and could have bought a mac if I wanted. However, I am a business student and the cost/benefit analysis didn't cut it for a mac book pro. You will find most businesses around the world have reached similar conclusions..
@kal326
You're a business student eh? Did you factor resale value into your equation? If you did you would see that you can still sell a 5 year old Powerbook for +30% of it's original value. Try that with your Winbook. And businesses use what they use based on the platform. The same laptop my company paid 1600 for would have cost the average buyer 600 so it's not like we picked my crappy Dell because it was cheap.
@primetime
uh, no. cost is definitely a factor when companies get computers. in fact, many large companies (my father's law firm included) lease computers from a leasing agency so that they can keep their computers modern without spending a ton. they also recommend that people get a desktop instead of a laptop unless they need the portability, because "[a desktop] represents a cost savings for the firm." real quote. and even if your company isn't leasing, i guarantee they're not paying 267% MSRP. that or you work for the most fucktarded company in the world.
@ UnixSystemsEngineer
This is most likely due to Windows market penetration, you'd probably find it equally as hard to find a Windows Vista user that had used Windows 95, and much less that had used 2.1 or a Mac OS X user that ran Mac OS 8 (with the fun I can delete my OS issue) and a very small amount that have run System 6.
You'll always find people who are willing to talk at length about a subject they aren't willing to learn about, and it get more and more silly each time.
@cardbored: Um... you're bashing right now by saying that apple is comprised of "elitist assholes".
And it's not just apple that "bashes", mudslinging is a part of most advertising campaigns. companies do not just advertise their own advantages, but they have to try to break the competition too. its used in politics, employment, and overall business related careers. and its not just apple, Microsoft manages to sneak a bit of bashing into their commercials as well.
Ugh.. $29? That's almost like saying 'We could have given it to you for free, buuuuut we're still going to charge you.'
You mean just like $99 and $999? Just be glad that the "let's charge for service packs!" trend (c. 1996) is dead. Windows 95 SLR2, stable though you seemed at the time, long may ye rest.
/Still, proprietary OSes are largely for chumps
*Cough* make that OSR *cough*
Been a long time
Will people ever stop finding a reason to complain? This is a $30 upgrade. A large portion of the OS has been rewritten to accommodate 64-bit native support. I'm not quite sure how many of you here are up to speed on what a task that is, but it isn't just a case of a recompile.
$30 is an absolute bargain for performance gains, even if there's nothing else in it. Compare this to hardware costs. I think all in all this is exceptionally reasonable.
I think it's as big an upgrade as any other OS X upgrade has been. Grand Central and OpenCL will be huge. I think they sorta made a mistake by calling it Snow Leopard which makes it feel like a "minor" upgrade in many peoples' minds... and yeah, by charging $29 instead of sticking to a full-price upgrade, also makes it sound like a minor upgrade. I'm glad it's cheaper, but I think they sorta dug themselves a hole here. Also, the next new version of OS X will probably be full price again, and people will complain about it being more than $29...
@ Unix i agree with what you said here, but i still hate you.
Ever used Entourage? Well if you did you would be more than willing to spend 30 bucks to get rid of it.
@MrTam : "A large portion of the OS has been rewritten to accommodate 64-bit native support. I'm not quite sure how many of you here are up to speed on what a task that is, but it isn't just a case of a recompile."
...Except the competition has been offering 32 and 64 bit versions in the retail pack for no extra charge.
$29 is not really that much to pay for a faster, lighter, streamlined OS that finally has 64 bit power. As a guy that uses professional 3D animation, and video editing software, I will gladly pay my $29.00 for that one feature alone.
Unless I misread they also mentioned it's 6GB smaller than Leopard, which I believe means when you upgrade to Snow Leopard that you save 6GB on your hard drive. That alone is worth $29 to me in addition to the other speed features they talked about.
vista sp2 also does the same thing, you save 10GB of space, and its free...
Since you can buy hard drives for less than $1/GB, at $5/GB, that's pretty pricey memory.
What do you have? a 30 gb hard drive?
Boo. 6 GB is less than a 20$ flash drive. Would you really pay 30$ to save 6 GB?
if you're a typical applet you would
I said that, but I'm still gonna buy snow leopard when it comes out. I don't think $30 dollars is a good idea, but it won't hurt me much either.
And what was that 6GB used for to begin with??
@ be fearless
huh didn't know that. i was wondering why it seemed like i suddenly had more space available. i wonder how it did that.
Awesome. Bring on September!
Looks like they're really trying to keep people from switching back to Windows with the advent of Windows 7. $29??!! You've got me hooked, Apple...
I think that really is one angle that's being played. People can argue how "incremental" the upgrade is, but the price point ... for all but the most rabid windows fans, is a great selling point. People may not understand "full" version change vs upgrade, and the name sort of carves out a mid-point ... but it is new and improved, with new functions, and the price is right.
My shop and home run both windows and mac ... 4-1 windows ... but this is a great marketing move and also brings in some income. It also steals a little thunder from Win 7.
nice, a charge up update to a "dot release"
*charge to update, that is....stupid no edit button
Dude, Vista is a point release, and last I checked, Vista Ultimate was selling for over $300, more than any consumer Apple OS has ever sold for. Fail.
D'oh, I meant XP was a point release.
Interesting how much Apple is stuck to the name of OSX. I bet they think it would sound stupid to create OSXI or OSLXXVI.
you should really be comparing to Vista upgrade price since you wouldn't be purchasing OSX if you didn't already have an older version
yeah, but look at the price of a PC compared to a Mac. They are basically charging you full whack by adding the price of the software into the hardware/Mac.
enough of snow kitty, we want iPhone! :)
There isn't that much new, it seems to be about the same amount of change between Ubuntu versions, and those are done in 6 months. I'm guessing it will be £29 for the upgrade...
Woo. 64bit. How impressive.
isn't it funny how they bash microsoft for the first 20 minutes, and then flaunt "now we support Exchange" god forbid they call it MICROSOFT EXCHANGE SUPPORT.. no then they'd have to admit one of their new killer features is based around a microsoft platform.
Windows compatibility has always been a big thing. Microsoft, as the dominant OS provider, throws up compatibility roadblocks all over the place. Hell, even different Office versions have problems being compatible.
OS X has a long history of supporting Windows file formats, SMB/CIFS support, Exchange on the iPhone, etc. Obviously Apple "has to" to this in order to appeal to the public... but this is nothing new.
you mean, its funny how they bash Windows for 3 seconds.. then talk about all the great stuff in Snow Leopard for half an hour.
Exchange is great. You're point being?
lol Engineer you want to talk about Windows compatibility roadblocks? Apple won't let you install OSX on anything but their computers. how's that for a fucking roadblock?
i like free stuff :/
Wow, it seems like Apple is abandoning PowerPC support
Beats Windows 7 by a month. However, Leopard had less that needed fixing compared to Vista, so no surprise Snow Leopard is ready sooner.
Wow! $29 to upgrade from Leopard to Snow Leopard. You know how much it cost to upgrade from XP to Vista? $156. Mac FTW!
Yeah, you do realise that XP and VISTA are 2 completely different OS's, whereas Leopard and Snow Leopard are not. Snow is just an increment in a .number; AND THEY ARE CHARGING YOU.
When did you ever hear in the last 10 years of Microsoft charging users for an SP update?
You fucking twit
Way to completely misunderstand now software versions work.
Ha, the irony of someone who cannot understand software versioning calling someone else a twit.
I completely understand software version. I also understand how Apple Charge for updates on the iPhone and now it seems the mac too. It isn't a complete new OS, it is simply an update. But I suppose I don't understand how software versions work on the iPhone either, or how the tax system works in the US either to fully get why Apple charge for those iPhone updates
Apple has never charged for an iPhone software update.
You're misinformed, which is hurting your credibility.
Meant iPod Touch
@tails
In that 10 years you also had Microsoft only releasing bug/security patches and one new OS. Not a lot that actually made changes/improvements to the OS.
And they don't charge for updates to the iphone. Only the ipod touch.
how the hell did you pay that much? you can get Vista Home Premium on Newegg for $100 (which you can use for a full install or an upgrade).
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16832116488
looks like you're the idiot.
@tails2: If you hate Mac/Apple, why do you care? Shouldn't you be hanging out at the M$ forums or something?
@maveric101: I got it 3 years ago off of Microsoft's web site via the digital locker. Clearly pricing has changed since then.
I don't know - I grew up PC, and try as I might, even Ubuntu doesn't ever do what I want when I try. For $29 I get all the little updates, changes to OpenCL, but.... I'm also going to get integration to Exchange right in the Mail, Calendar, and Address Book -- plus it integrates into Spotlight Search. I'm sorry, but for any business user (especially Small Biz using Exchange Hosted) that is worth $29 right there. Last I checked, Microsoft charges upwards of $90 for Outlook.
MS is going to rule Apple you'll be soon out of business (Bankrupt) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Snow Leopad is going to bit your back